How to write a sonnet like Shakespeare
from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit ''Shakespearean sonnets certainly have more rules of rhyme and rhythm than your everyday free-verse poetry, but you can be thankful that it's easier than those Italian ones! Here an author of numerous sonnets true to the English form explains an easy way to write one. '' The first thing to keep in mind is that it should be a love poem . Many famous poets have written sonnets about other things to be sure, but usually they made that exception on purpose to produce a point -- such as Milton's sonnets to God, the point being that God is worthy of the highest love. For the sake of the form as a signature piece, to write to someone you love, it is best to keep it within the bounds of the traditional theme. Steps Who is it about? A person you love or that you have a crush on is usually the best inspiration. How does this person make you feel? Put some random thoughts on paper. Pick a strong rhyme that can be related to end the poem. Usually one of them is a word you really want to end the poem on. The following are some common examples, but you may not want to use them: love/above, away/today etc. You would be surprised that you can link two very unrelated rhyming words into a strong ending couplet. See tips for some examples. It's easy! Remember each line must have ten syllables, weak-strong times five. This is called iambic pentameter, and my couplets I have entered in the "tips" section below are examples of this metre. The endings of the lines rhyme ABABCDCDEFEFGG. Each letter must rhyme with the other letters, meaning lines 1&3, 2&4, 5&7 and so on rhyme. This can be much more challenging than writing a poem with rhymes in a row, since you must edit two lines back rather than 1, but it just takes time and talent. At the 9th line you must have a terza, or shift in idea. Think of your poem's main idea as a sentence with two parts. For example, "I love you, but we can never be together." This second part is what your third quatrain (four-line section) must be about. Write a very strong GG rhyme to end it off with the rhyme you selected at the beginning. This is called a heroic couplet, a couplet in iambic pentameter. And congratulations! You are done! What you want to do with it now is up to you. Tips Here's two examples of herioc couplets. Forgive me if you think my love a crime, Assured I rest you'll change your mind with time. Accept this poem of feelings unrefined, And may my words to you be always kind! See also *How to Write a Poem *How to Write a Love Poem *How to Write a Sonnet ---- Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on "How to Write a Sonnet Like Shakespeare". All content on wikiHow can be shared under a http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/">Creative Commons BY-NC-SA_2.5 license]. Category:How-to articles Category:Imported, updated, or created in 2011 Category:Sonnet studies Category:WikiHow articles